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Gay taste? Here's straight talk
http://www.usatoday.com/life/2003-08-04-gay-taste_x.htm
Posted 8/4/2003 10:36 PM Updated 8/4/2003 10:40 PM
Gay taste? Here's straight talk
By Craig Wilson, USA TODAY
Is it true, as some people believe, that gay men have better taste than their straight brothers?
Is it true that a gay man can stroll through a flea market, find the one and only good thing — a valuable antique, even — take it home, clean it up and put it out for all the world to admire?
Queer Eye for the Straight Guy has been this summer's biggest surprise hit.
Does a gay man have a special gene, an extra chromosome, something that allows him to put plaids and florals in the same room and not have them duke it out?
Good taste is subjective, of course, but any gay man worth his Eames chair will tell you he knows it when he sees it. And now the rest of America is watching.
Queer Eye for the Straight Guy (tonight, 10 ET/PT) has been the summer's biggest surprise hit, albeit by Bravo's smaller standards. Still, its 2.8 million viewers last week set a ratings record for Bravo, leaping from a high of 1.7 million the week before. Seven episodes are being added to the original 12.
Five gay men who call themselves the Fab 5 — each an "expert" in his field, be it fashion or design or grooming — make over a hapless straight man who doesn't know DKNY from NYPD. (Tonight Show host Jay Leno is next, when the five make over him, the show's band and the set on Aug. 14 and 15.)
Though the show's premise might be fun, is it fair? To straights or to gays? Is it even true?
After all, fashion icon and tastemaker extraordinaire Ralph Lauren is married with three children, while the gay community is still trying to live down Liberace, the prince of tackiness. And how does the "always-in-good-taste" gay man explain the flamboyance of Elton John and Harvey Fierstein?
Those questions aside, some gays are lamenting that the gays-can-only-decorate stereotype is again being hauled out of the closet.
Comedian Joan Rivers, who has known a few gay men in her day, says they should get over it. "The only straight male decorator I ever knew was the guy who decorated the Lincoln Tunnel," says Rivers, who supports the extra-chromosome theory. "Truly, what gay men have is both worlds, the women's sensitivity and the man's smarts. My life would be boring and not as beautiful without them."
Dan Berkowitz, director of corporate communications for Keynote Systems, a Web performance management company in San Mateo, Calif., doesn't understand all the fuss over stereotypes, either.
"It should all be taken in the spirit it's given," he says. "It's great fun. It's high camp."
As for gay men having the good-taste gene, Berkowitz says they just might. "I think we are more sensitive. More gay men are artistically minded, more sensitized to beauty and their surroundings."
Berkowitz's partner, JL Sears, is with Design Within Reach, the Oakland-based company that supplies the furniture for the room where the Fab 5 watch their creation play out his new role at the end of the show.
"It's all meant for entertainment," says Sears, whose newly refurbished home on San Francisco's much-photographed Alamo Square was finished hurriedly over the weekend for USA TODAY's photo shoot — a Herculean feat a straight man probably would not understand, let alone undertake.
That's all fine and dandy, says Robert Verdi, host of cable's Full Frontal Fashion and Surprise by Design. But he says there's more to the gay community than "hair length, heel height and wall color. ... We're bigger than what you see there."
Verdi insists, however, that he doesn't want to look like a spoiled little gay brat about all this. In fact, he takes some credit for the Fab 5 becoming such a hit.
"Without sounding too egotistical, (lifestyle guru) Colin Cowie, myself, even (People and Today style commentator) Steven Cojocaru — we all lit the way and paved the dirt road that these guys are now going down," he says.
Michael Bronski, a journalist and cultural critic, says the perception of who gay men are and what they are known for has changed dramatically, especially with the younger generation. He's teaching Contemporary Issues in Gay/Lesbian/Bisexual/Transgender Studies at Dartmouth College this summer. Queer Eye was the topic of discussion last week.
"Some said these five were the same characters in Boys in the Band," says Bronski, referring to the now-classic 1970 movie about closeted gay men at a dinner party. "But we like them now. The bitchy queens are now the saviors, rather than guys to be pitied.
"Some of the students did say the show reinforced the 'good-taste' stereotypes that gay men are neater, cleaner, fussier and dressed better," he says. But some of the students also referred to the Fab 5 "as the new Charlie's Angels, even fairy godmothers, literally, who have the ability to transform straight men."
Eric Marcus says, "Plenty of people secretly dream of being made over by gay men in a way they imagine we operate ... masters in design, cooking, fashion."
But Marcus says America is in for a shock. "A lot of us are sadly impaired in all those fields."
When he interviewed 20 long-term gay couples in their homes for his 1999 book Together Forever, Marcus says many of his subjects were in desperate need of a gay makeover themselves.
Marcus says that when the gene "mystery" is unraveled, "it will be discovered that some gay men have special abilities in some areas ... just as some straight men have special abilities in some areas."
Manhattan magazine executive Tricia Kasner, an avid antique collector and decorator and friend to many a gay man, won't hear of such nonsense. She still believes gays have an extra good-taste chromosome. Maybe two.
"Of course they do," she says. "We just had dinner with a gay friend. He could spend all day organizing your cutlery drawer, and you'd be very happy he did. Why is that? I don't know." Kasner calls Queer Eye "hysterical."
"If only someone would come in and take control of my life like that, I'd be thrilled."
Simon Doonan, creative director at Barneys New York, has one problem with all this: He doesn't think straight guys need any help.
"I feel passionately that people need to look like who they are. Janet Reno should look like Janet Reno," he says. "Straight guys need to look like straight guys."
While he finds the show amusing, Doonan feels sorry for the guys being made over. "They look like deer trapped in the headlights. ... They're like sitting ducks."
So he has a suggestion for the show's producers.
"What I think they should do would be to have these queens make over another queen. Now, that would be entertaining."
Divorce is the real deviation.....
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/opinions/articles/0805tuelets057.html
Divorce is the real deviation
Aug. 5, 2003 12:00 AM
There is so much talk about gay marriage being a threat to families and traditional marriage.
Politicians want to amend the constitution to ban homosexual marriage. The pope says same-sex unions are deviant.
In all fairness, the largest threat to traditional marriage is traditional divorce.
Really, what tears apart more families: straight divorce or gay marriage? There must be some kind of "Straight Divorce Agenda" and it is ripping America apart at the seams.
There should be a constitutional amendment making divorce illegal. That would most certainly protect traditional marriage and families.
If the Vatican and other religions would declare "Divorce is Deviant," that would also end this evil threat to American families. - Tim White
Scottsdale
jm...I'm waiting for my signed copy....it will be my signature here when I get it.
Media See Growing Market in Spanish...
http://www.hispanicbusiness.com/news/newsbyid.asp?id=11906
Sorpresa, Spanish for "surprise," is a children's network launched in March by Firestone Communications, which acquired the assets of bankrupt Hispanic Television Network of Haltom City. The new network, not yet available in the Metroplex, has carriage agreements with companies including Time Warner Cable and Comcast.
Media See Growing Market in Spanish
August 4, 2003
Heather Landy
If media executives had any doubts about their next big avenue for growth, the latest Census data helped point the way. The Hispanic population rose 58 percent nationwide during the 1990s, sparking a race to lure Hispanic viewers, readers and listeners with Spanish-language offerings.
In North Texas, where the Hispanic population more than doubled from 1990 to 2000, the demand for culturally relevant news and entertainment has continued to grow.
John Martinez, publisher of the Fort Worth Spanish-language weekly La Semana, said gross sales at his newspaper are up 40 percent this year. KLNO/94.1 FM is among the area's most popular radio stations, thanks to its regional Mexican format. And Spanish-language television giant Univision is widening its appeal with Telefuturo, a sister network launched in early 2002.
Newspapers also are trying to capitalize on the growing market.
Beginning Sept. 2, the Star-Telegram will expand publication of its Spanish-language paper, La Estrella, taking it to five days a week from two days and adding separate sections for sports, features and classified advertisements. The paper will be renamed Diario La Estrella, or The Daily Star. Later in September, the Dallas Morning News will launch a Spanish-language daily, Al Dia, or Up to Date.
For 20-year-old Gabriela Villalobos, born to Mexican parents and raised in Texas, the media's increased involvement in Spanish-language information gives her more options than ever to stay connected to her culture.
"A lot more [Spanish-language] Web sites have been popping up, and the radio station I listen to is pretty new," said Villalobos, a fan of Spanish MTV, Univision 23, the Yahoo Mexico Web site and the Spanish top-40 station KTCY-FM. The number of offerings "has been exploding," she said.
Mainstream media outlets also are getting into the game. General Electric's NBC network acquired Spanish-language network Telemundo last year for $2.7 billion. Microsoft founder Bill Gates, through his investment fund and charity, recently took a 7 percent stake in Grupo Televisa, a Mexico-based broadcaster that sells programs to networks across North and South America.
Driving much of the media frenzy is the growth in Hispanic advertising, which has expanded by 17 percent annually during the past five years, according to the Association of Hispanic Advertising Agencies.
"When you see an NBC coming in and buying Telemundo, they didn't buy it just to say they now have a Latino property -- they obviously see an incredible business opportunity," said Victor Ornelas, president and chief executive of the Dallas advertising firm Ornelas & Associates.
Ornelas has worked on campaigns for Nissan and Anheuser-Busch, translating them for Spanish speakers in terms of both language and cultural significance. He points to an ad for Nissan's Xterra sport utility vehicle as an example: The mainstream version shows extreme skiers on a snowy mountain; the Spanish-language version features a driver heading to the beach and then, like an Acapulco cliff diver, jumping into the water. The image is different, but the message is the same, Ornelas said.
Hispanics' preference for Spanish-language fare is expected to continue, even as new immigrants from Mexico and Central and South America become more entrenched in the United States.
According to the 2000 Census, 28 million U.S. residents age five and over speak Spanish at home, with slightly more than half also fluent in English. The 1990 Census counted just 17 million Spanish speakers. In Texas, 27 percent of residents age five and older speak Spanish at home, the latest figures show. Only New Mexico, at 29 percent, had a higher statewide rate.
Television industry trends reflect the demographic data. Univision, by far the largest Spanish-language television network, said that from 1998 to 2002 it had the best prime-time ratings among Hispanics ages 18 to 49, topping ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC.
During that time, Univision's revenue jumped from $577 million to $1.1 billion, and earnings at the Los Angeles-based broadcaster soared from 4 cents a share to 34 cents.
Univision is trying to win regulatory approval for a $2.9 billion acquisition of Hispanic Broadcasting, a Dallas-based radio company that ended 2002 with 46 stations, including seven in Fort Worth-Dallas.
As Univision solidifies its dominance among Hispanic viewers, a new Spanish-language digital cable network is gathering steam.
Sorpresa, Spanish for "surprise," is a children's network launched in March by Firestone Communications, which acquired the assets of bankrupt Hispanic Television Network of Haltom City. The new network, not yet available in the Metroplex, has carriage agreements with companies including Time Warner Cable and Comcast.
Firestone Chairman and Chief Executive Leonard Firestone said the network is one of the few to cater to Hispanic children, many of whom are encouraged by their parents to speak in both Spanish and English.
With bilingualism becoming more common, media outlets and advertisers must remember that Hispanic consumers are watching them in both languages, said Roberto Orci, president of M3 Alliance Consulting, which specializes in the Hispanic market.
"Among Hispanics, 86 percent watch television in Spanish, and 83 percent watch television in English," Orci said. "Hispanics don't just choose between Telemundo and Univision. They choose between Telemundo, Univision, NBC and ABC."
There are growing choices in print as well. In addition to La Estrella, Metroplex residents have their choice of Spanish-language weeklies including La Semana, El Heraldo News and El Hispano. The publisher of La Semana said pitching to advertisers is much easier now than when the paper began in 1995.
"Now they return your calls -- they want to do business with you," said Martinez, who also publishes a Spanish-language homes magazine and has plans to start an auto magazine in the next three months.
Martinez said he suspects the introduction of Al Dia and Diario La Estrella will help open even more doors. Advertisers will "all of a sudden realize that if there's a daily out there, there's a reason for it," he said.
Several locally based advertisers already have taken notice.
"Our advertising budget for Hispanic marketing is already up considerably this year over last year, and that's both in print and electronic media," RadioShack Chief Executive Len Roberts said. "I think it's a hot area."
The Fort Worth-based electronics chain hired actor Lou Diamond Phillips and singer-actress Daniela Lujan to star in new ads for markets including Texas, California, Florida and Puerto Rico. RadioShack also is a co-sponsor of MLS Futbolito, a Major League Soccer program bringing four-on-four soccer tournaments to 10 U.S. cities in an effort to reach out to Hispanic fans.
J.C. Penney is a frequent advertiser on networks including Univision and Telemundo, where it translates the slogan "It's All Inside" into Spanish. The Plano-based retailer's busiest store is in Puerto Rico, and the company tries to hire bilingual employees in markets with large Hispanic populations.
"It's important that our customers see themselves reflected in our ads and in our stores," said Manny Fernandez, manager of multicultural and specialty marketing at J.C. Penney.
Despite the eagerness of some advertisers and the growth statistics for the Hispanic population, Spanish-language media companies have not been able to fully insulate themselves from the sluggish advertising environment that has hurt mass-market media outlets in the slow economy.
"The effects of war and the economy always affect advertising, and we have felt some softness too," said Becky Munoz-Diaz, general manager for Univision KUVN 23 and Telefutura KSTR 49 in Dallas. "We're still having growth but not at the level we were accustomed to prior to this season."
Advertisers spent nearly $2 billion last year to place ads on Spanish-language television, a 10 percent increase from 2001, according to Nielsen Media Research. The growth was the fastest among categories measured in the survey, including mainstream network and cable television, network radio, national magazines, and national and local newspapers.
Source: Copyright (c) 2003 Fort Worth Star Telegram. All Rights Reserved.
jm.....
for you......
http://www.iht.com/articles/104243.html
enjoy!
MALONE BACKS OFF....
http://www.nypost.com/business/2277.htm
Initial public offerings typically are difficult to pursue when a company is under investigation. Just recently, AOL Time Warner was forced to admit that the SEC will likely not approve a public offering of Time Warner Cable because of several probes into accounting practices at AOL.
MALONE BACKS OFF
By TIM ARANGO
August 4, 2003 -- John Malone is backing away from bidding for Vivendi Universal Entertainment, The Post has learned.
While Malone is not expected to announce he has dropped out of the auction for the French conglomerate's U.S. entertainment businesses, he has signaled he is no longer interested in the assets - which include a TV and movie studio, music concerns and cable networks.
Malone is considered too savvy a dealmaker to put out a press release saying he is exiting the auction, sources noted.
Meanwhile, talks over the future of VUE have centered on nailing down details of a joint venture with General Electric's NBC, sources said.
A source familiar with the matter said Vivendi is not willing to budge on price, and Vivendi executives expect some of the bidders to drop out of the auction in the next couple of weeks.
Vivendi and NBC declined comment, and a spokesman for Malone did not return a call seeking comment.
After entertaining first-round bids near $11 billion, Vivendi told bidders it expects roughly $14 billion for the assets, plus another $1 billion for preferred stock owned by Barry Diller - bringing its price expectations to about $15 billion.
A group headed by Edgar Bronfman Jr., which includes private equity money and cable networks contributed by Cablevision, is not believed to be willing to meet Vivendi's price demands.
"[Vivendi CEO Jean-Rene] Fourtou really likes Edgar on a personal level, but Edgar can't get to $14 billion," said one source familiar with the process.
A particular source of contention between Malone and Vivendi - which has hampered Liberty's participation in the auction - is an ongoing lawsuit between the two companies, sources say.
Earlier this year, Malone sued Vivendi, accusing the French company and its former CEO, Jean-Marie Messier, of fraud for misrepresenting its financial data when Vivendi purchased USA Networks in 2001. Malone owned a large stake in USA, and he received Vivendi stock as compensation in that deal.
Vivendi has said it believes Malone's suit is without merit.
In addition, Malone's interest in Vivendi decreased after his recent purchase of home shopping channel QVC. In that deal, Malone paid almost $8 billion to Comcast to take control of the lucrative network.
That deal came just before the annual Allen & Co. media conference in Sun Valley, Idaho, at which Malone downplayed his interest in Vivendi in private conversations with media executives in attendance.
Last week, MGM announced it has dropped out of the auction after its $11.5 billion bid was rejected for being too low. Viacom, which has also been in the mix, is interested solely in Vivendi's cable networks - USA and Sci-Fi.
Breaking up the assets is tough because of potential tax liabilities, although Viacom, Liberty and Diller have discussed forming a partnership that could limit those liabilities.
Meanwhile, Vivendi has said an alternative plan - if the auction turns out to be a bust - is to take the division public.
Vivendi, as first reported in The Post, has begun the early steps of seeking out a possible CEO, in case it decides to bring VUE to the public markets.
But that option might be hampered by ongoing Securities and Exchange Commission investigations into alleged accounting improprieties.
Initial public offerings typically are difficult to pursue when a company is under investigation. Just recently, AOL Time Warner was forced to admit that the SEC will likely not approve a public offering of Time Warner Cable because of several probes into accounting practices at AOL.
Interview: Representatives Nita Lowey, Peter King Discuss Issues Before Congress, National Politics (Aug. 3)
http://www.wnbc.com/news/2380131/detail.html
interview in part as relates to g/l....rest is unrelated and can be read from link
Interview: Representatives Nita Lowey, Peter King Discuss Issues Before Congress, National Politics (Aug. 3)
Host: Gabe Pressman
POSTED: 3:47 p.m. EDT August 4, 2003
UPDATED: 3:53 p.m. EDT August 4, 2003
NEW YORK -- It's the summer hiatus in Washington. The president held a farewell news conference before leaving for his beloved ranch in Crawford, Texas. The members of Congress went home, too, to spend time with their families and to take the pulse of constituents. Two of them, Republican Congressman Peter King of Long Island and Democratic Congresswoman Nita Lowey of Westchester and Rockland counties, are our guests. On our agenda today, some of the unresolved issues before Congress and America, including gay marriages, the guerrilla war in Iraq, the continued threat of terrorism here, prescription drugs for the elderly. And after meetings between the president and Israeli Prime Minister Sharon and Palestinian Prime Minister Abbas, are we any closer to peace in the Middle East?
Announcer: From Studio 6B in Rockefeller Center, this is a presentation from News Channel 4: Gabe Pressman's NEWS FORUM. Now your host, senior correspondent Gabe Pressman.
PRESSMAN: Good morning, and welcome, Congressman Peter King, Congresswoman Nita Lowey. The president, in his news conference on Wednesday, said that he respects homosexuals but draws the line at gay weddings, and said that government lawyers, at his request, are exploring measures to legally define marriage as a union between a man and a woman. How do you feel about that, Congressman King?
Representative PETER KING (Republican, New York): I would probably take the same position as the president. I'd like to see what's in the constitutional amendment. I think that states should have the right to do as they wish. But on the other hand, I don't know if other states--in fact, I don't think other states should be forced to recognize that when you have the--you know, the Full Faith and Credit cla--clause of the Constitution. So the type of amendment I would support would be that a state with sort of the right to do it, but another state could refuse to recognize it. Here, we can have civil unions, but I do think that marriage is at a different level.
PRESSMAN: A constitutional amendment? That's a pretty heavy standard, isn't it? Not a law?
Rep. KING: No, see, because the law, I think, would be subservient to the Constitution. For instance, if--if the Massachusetts Supreme Court recognizes gay marriages, as I read the Constitution now, all of the states would have to recognize that because of the Full Faith and Credit clause. So I'm saying, if there were a constitutional amendment, that's the way it has to be done, which would say that a state would have the right to not recognize gay marriages from another state. But I think we have to be very careful in how we do it and make sure this doesn't turn into something that divides the country.
PRESSMAN: Your reaction?
Representative NITA LOWEY (Democrat, New York): I think that--well, first of all, I would oppose a constitutional amendment. Pete King is right; the states should be in charge of marriages and unions. And frankly, I think we should be doing everything we can to encourage commitments in relationship, marriages and civil unions, and an individual, gay or lesbian, should have the right to get all the benefits and privileges, insurance, etc. And if there is a constitutional amendment--which I think is a foolish thing to do, because the regulation of marriage, as I said, should be left to the states--I would vote against it.
PRESSMAN: And yet polls show that more than half of the American people oppose gay marriages.
Rep. LOWEY: Well, first of all, you look at polls, and it depends how you ask the question. And I think it's our responsibility to do what's right, and I don't think there should be a constitutional amendment, and I think the regulation should be left to the states.
Rep. KING: Yeah, but see, again, under the Full Faith and Credit clause of the Constitution, states would have to recognize a gay marriage even if it was not allowed within that state. That's why the--I guess it was the Sanctity of Marriage Act was enacted several years ago, which President Clinton signed. But that law, I think, would be declared unconstitutional. So Congress has expressed itself, and I think to implement that, the only way to do it would be through an amendment, I think, unless, you know, lawyers can come up with another way to do it. That's all. So I voted--I do want to project--you know, protect the prerogatives of the state, but I don't know how you can do it without a constitutional amendment.
PRESSMAN: The president said, `I'm mindful that we're all sinners, and I question those whom we try to take the speck out of the neighbor's eye,' invoking a biblical passage, I believe, from St. Matthew. But one gay activist, Matt Foreman, said, `It's sad that at a moment in history that cries out for leadership and moral courage, President Bush has instead opted for the divisive anti-da--gay politics of the past.' Does that rankle you, or do you--do you agree with him that maybe the president went too far?
Rep. KING: I think what the president was trying to do was to call for conciliation, and to say not to be pointing fingers, and not to be critical of one person when you could be the sinner yourself. So I think what he was doing was addressing people who have a strong religious view and saying, `Don't be critical of someone else,' you know, `look at yourself.'
Rep. LOWEY: Well, let me just say that I...
PRESSMAN: You're--you're shaking your head.
Rep. LOWEY: Well, only because I kind of cringe when the president begins judging people as to whether they're sinners or not sinners or even use the term. I do believe there is a separation of church and state, and I think the less that government and this Congress can do in getting into people's religious life the better. There is a strict separation, and somehow, talking about people as sinners disturbs me.
Rep. KING: Yeah, but he was bringing it up, urging tolerance. I think that is a legitimate use of religion if you're urging tolerance--is what he was doing.
Rep. LOWEY: He could have said that. I would have liked him to talk about tolerance. That's fair.
Rep. KING: But he was addressing it toward fundamentalists who may be trying to use homosexuality as an issue, and he was putting it back at them and telling them to be tolerant.
PRESSMAN: I don't want to get into religion, but since the Vatican did come out warning Catholic politicians that support of same-sex unions was gravely immoral, I wonder what your reaction is to that as a Catholic.
Rep. KING: Yeah, as a Catholic, I think the Vatican is--is wrong on that. I think the Vatican, as every other religious group and every other religious entity, has their right to speak, has their right to put out teachings. As a Catholic, I think I have more of an obligation to study them and look at them first. But the final analysis, it has--if you're in a democratic society, you have to take your oath of office, and the oath of office is to carry out the Constitution. And if a person doesn't want to carry out the Constitution, they should resign. I think it's wrong for the Vatican. I think it goes against the spirit of Vatican II, which was talking about diversity and talking about in a democratic society. Having said that, I would basically support what they're saying as far as the teaching, but it's wrong--I'm not going to base my decision on what they say. And I disagree with other--I mean, the Vatican has also come out during the 1980s against the arms buildup, which I thought was important. I thought they were wrong on that. That's where they--they were, I think, too far to the left. Now I think they're being too far to the right, but that's a judgmental decision. I think it's wrong for them to be saying that as a Catholic politician, you have an obligation. I think that's wrong.
PRESSMAN: Well, I guess that you're making a case for the independence of politicians whether they're Catholic or not Catholic.
Rep. KING: Yeah. And if your religious views do come between you and what you have to do, then you should resign. But other than that, you know, when I run for office, I don't run as a Catholic. I run to represent 690,000 people, whatever it is, and you know, they know what my views are, and--but I don't think the Vatican should be expressing them. And also, to be--quite frankly--you know, to be quite frank about it, I think the Vatican should have its own issues to resolve.
New allegations delay Episcopal vote on gay bishop
http://rdu.news14.com/content/headlines/?ArID=33622&SecID=2
New allegations delay Episcopal vote on gay bishop
Updated: 8/4/2003 4:27 PM
By: Associated Press
(MINNEAPOLIS) -- Episcopal Church leaders have delayed a vote on whether to confirm the denomination's first openly gay bishop.
A church spokesman says allegations involving "touching" and "pornography" have emerged against the Reverend Gene Robinson of New Hampshire.
The spokesman says Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold is expected to make a statement later today.
Robinson, a 56-year-old divorced father of two, has been attending the convention in Minneapolis with his daughter and his male partner of 13 years.
The church's House of Deputies voted yesterday to confirm him as bishop, but a final vote by the House of Bishops is on hold after the new allegations.
Same-sex debate similar to civil rights struggle: local MP
http://winnipeg.cbc.ca/regional/servlet/View?filename=to_samesexmp20030804
Same-sex debate similar to civil rights struggle: local MP
Winnipeg - A Liberal MP in Manitoba has pledged his support for the federal same-sex marriage legislation, saying the debate is comparable to America's divisive civil rights struggle.
John Harvard, MP for Charleswood-St. James-Assiniboia, said the debate over gay marriage has triggered a strong reaction from his constituents on both sides of the debate.
Last week the Vatican issued a letter urging Catholic politicians to fight what they called the "gravely immoral" move to extend marriage rights to same-sex couples.
MP's have since stepped up their rhetoric surrounding the move, with one saying that Prime minister Jean Chretien would "burn in hell" if the bill was passed.
But Harvard said despite the resistance, politicians have a human rights duty to support the legislation.
"You know when Rosa Parks was taken off that bus in the Southern States she was standing up for equality," he said of the famous civil rights pioneer. "I don't think anybody would want to go back to the days when blacks were allowed on the bus, but they had to sit at the back."
"It was a tough struggle, but the people who were moral and who said 'This is the right thing to do,' they won out. I think it's the same thing here with the gays and lesbians. We have to respect these people as well and this is exactly what I think we will do."
Harvard said that even though he has received many letters from citizens challenging the bill, they will not stop him from supporting it in the House of Commons.
Dutch pay no heed to Vatican's campaign
http://www.bangkokpost.com/News/05Aug2003_news38.html
Dutch pay no heed to Vatican's campaign
Appeal against gay weddings `no concern'
The Vatican's campaign against same-sex marriages has fallen on deaf ears in the Netherlands, and has been widely criticised, even by members of the conservative Christian Democrat Party.
``In my opinion, the Vatican should be concentrating on more important issues like bettering the lives of people in developing countries rather than trying to regulate what people do in their bedrooms,'' declared Pim Walenkamp, president of the youth wing of the Christian Democrat Party. He calls himself a ``convinced Catholic''.
Known for its liberal attitudes towards sex and drugs, the Netherlands was the first country in the world to legalise same-sex marriages in April 2001.
The Vatican's call last week to Catholic politicians the world over to fight laws allowing gay marriages has not gone down well in the Netherlands, even among Catholics in this predominantly Protestant country.
``The Vatican is free to take whatever position it wants, but there is a separation between the church and the state in the Netherlands, so this appeal does not concern us,'' said Kathleen Ferrier, a Christian Democrat in the Dutch parliament.
``These laws were adopted democratically, and we reckon the authorities cannot change them''.
Ms Ferrier confirmed that her party, which returned to power in 2002, had ``no intention of repealing the laws legalising homosexual marriages''.
The country's Catholics have been known to be critical of Rome even before the current controversy.
The Dutch government, a coalition of Christian Democrats, the liberal VVD party and the centre-right D66, did not wish to react to the Holy See's call to intensify the church's war on homosexuality.
``The Vatican's position is already well known, and it is in the name of religion, not in the realm of politics,'' a Foreign Ministry spokesman Frank de Bruijn told AFP.
The opposition Green Party denounced as ``unacceptable'' the Vatican's move.
According to the latest statistics, more than 4,300 same-sex couples chose to marry before the mayoral authorities by 2002, while 6,900 couples opted for a civil partnership, open to same-sex partners since January 1998.
jcradio..you posted the article here. I would like to see the link here...thanks
Davis Signs Transgender Rights Bill
http://www.kron4.com/Global/story.asp?S=1387845&nav=5D7lHGpK
The three other states that protect the transgendered from housing and job discrimination are Minnesota, Rhode Island, and New Mexico.
we need to watch the gblt friendly states. that more than likely will be our target market
Davis Signs Transgender Rights Bill
Posted: August 4, 2003 at 9:03 a.m.
SACRAMENTO (AP) -- California will become the fourth state to protect the transgendered from housing and job discrimination.
Governor Gray Davis signed the bill Sunday -- it takes effect January first.
Transgendered people see themselves as trapped in the body of the opposite sex. They are said to often face discrimination, with an unemployment rate far higher than average.
The new law has long been a goal of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender activists in the state. Some business organizations opposed it, fearing it will mean more lawsuits. Conservative religious groups say it offends average Californians.
The three other states that protect the transgendered from housing and job discrimination are Minnesota, Rhode Island, and New Mexico.
(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
Rights victory for transgenders
http://www.examiner.com/opinion/default.jsp?story=080403op_editorial
Rights victory for transgenders
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Published on Monday, August 4, 2003
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THE FIGHT AGAINST workplace and housing discrimination in California scored a historic victory last week.
On Friday, Gov. Gray Davis signed into law AB 196, the Gender Non-Discrimination Act of 2003. It amends state law to prohibit unfair and unequal treatment on the basis of gender and gender identity. This means employers and landlords can't refuse to hire someone or rent out an apartment to someone just because that person either is transgender or doesn't conform to a perceived "normal" standard of appearance or behavior for their gender.
The bill, from Assemblyman Mark Leno of San Francisco, makes California only the fourth state to enact such basic protections for transgender people.
"The validation of basic human rights for citizens who are transgender is on the cutting edge of today's civil rights movement," said Theresa Sparks, San Francisco transgender-rights crusader and co-chair of The City's Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club, in a statement.
Leno earlier this year selected Sparks as Assembly District 13 Woman of the Year, the first transgender woman so honored. He also has a long track record of working to eliminate unfair treatment of transgender people, including developing sensitivity training for local law-enforcement officers.
Today at 11:30 a.m., Leno is scheduled to hold a press conference at the San Francisco Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center on Market Street, with a celebration to follow.
Leno's calm, even-keeled demeanor is well-known, but on this occasion he's got good reason to really kick up his heels. This is the first state legislation of Leno's to actually be signed, and for any new legislator that's an important milestone. But for both Leno and the people who will be protected by his legislation, the fact that his first successful bill will create a tangible positive impact on people's lives makes it an accomplishment well worth celebrating.
VIEWS Michelangelo Signorile
http://www.windycitymediagroup.com/article-35107.html
VIEWS Michelangelo Signorile
Cocks, Jocks, Peacocks NBC and the dawning reality of gay television
(8/6/2003)
You had to let out a cackle watching George Will spin himself into a little frenzy recently, still grumbling about the Supreme Court sodomy decision. “This is the summer of conservatives’ discontent,” the stone-faced columnist whined in the Washington Post. For pasty old George, it’s always a bummer when groups of people actually attain their civil rights, thereby allegedly subverting what he and the hard-right crowd believe the founding fathers desired. (Don’t you love how they often turn into the Psychic Friends Network, channeling the thoughts of the long-dead?)
His crybaby routine may be a complete bore, but Will is right about how Falwell and company must be feeling this season. Here we are, only a month after the high court legalized gay sex, and the sodomites are ready for prime time, quite literally. Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, the tres gay makeover show that brought the Bravo channel its highest ratings ever—1.2 million viewers in the first night—suddenly found itself on NBC (which owns Bravo) last Thursday for a one-night stand, a successful attempt to give the show greater exposure.
The NBC episode was truncated—from one hour to 30 minutes—but some pretty risque stuff still made the cut on the staid GE-owned network. When “Fashion Savant” Carson Kressley—one of Queer Eye’s “Fab Five” who work their homo magic—located the hapless straight slob’s jock strap in a pile of clothing rubble, he demanded some boiling water to remove a curious stain. “Looks like soy sauce,” he observed of the stain. Then he paused and asked, “Or is it boy sauce?”
This must be the end of civilization that Antonin Scalia warned about in his dissent.
Between commercial breaks on NBC’s truncated Queer Eye—which followed Will & Grace—promos were running for Bravo’s even more controversial Boy Meets Boy, a gay dating show. In the show’s first episode, chiseled leading man James doesn’t yet know that some of his would-be suitors are straight guys playing gay in order to make some cash (if one of them fools him and gets picked, toothy James loses and the straight guy walks off with $25,000). So far he thinks he’s going to get to pick a dream date and go on a trip to New Zealand—and he just might, if the guy he chooses happens to be a homo.
While Queer Eye is all about playing up stereotypes, Boy Meets Boy is all about breaking them down. Watching a review copy of the first episode, even I—someone with industrial-strength gaydar—couldn’t tell for sure who is straight and who is gay.
Needless to say, the social conservatives are not happy about the entire concept, particularly regarding the blurring of distinctions. “What’s next? Boy Meets Sheep?” asked the lovely Andrea Sheldon Lafferty, daughter of the acid-mouthed Rev. Lou Sheldon and executive director of the Traditional Values Coalition, which dear old dad once shepherded. (Full disclosure: I once accidentally spit on Mrs. Sheldon Lafferty while arguing with her on the Ricki Lake Show, after which she screamed, “You spit on me!” It was, honestly, a complete accident—though I must say, honestly, that I don’t feel sorry about it).
I admit that I can’t get enough of Queer Eye—even with its overwrought product placement (from hair and shaving products to evil French wines) and its annoying freeze frames, highlighting five-second fashion and decor tips splashed across the screen (“Don’t be afraid to combine patterns. Stripes and checks work together”).
Queer Eye is like a new brand of candy: sweet and chock full of sensation, even if the novelty wears off quickly. Boy Meets Boy, on the other hand, is as episodic and melodramatic (and sometimes as monotonous and drawn out) as the straight reality-dating shows to which people stay glued for weeks on end just to get any sort of resolution. On Queer Eye, the resolution occurs in one sitting: Straight guy is transformed into a faux queer (or, as the hip straights are now calling it, a metrosexual).
Both shows have kicked up some silly summer controversy. The debate about Boy Meets Boy centers around the producers’ (who are also gay) having fooled the leading man, not letting him know some of the guys are straight. We don’t, after all, see lesbian contestants covertly sprinkled throughout The Bachelor or Joe Millionaire (though something tells me the leading men on those shows would like that). Still, I like the idea of the straight guys forced into a closet, playing gay right down to some hot tongue action, so desperate for that 25 thousand bucks and a moment of fame.
The Queer Eye debate focuses on stereotyping of all gay males as fairy godmothers of style—a debate I find to be as dull as dishwater. There are plenty of other gay portrayals on television that offer diversity if you need that kind of reinforcement, from an African-American former cop and a Los Angeles funeral director on Six Feet Under to those humping gay prisoners on Oz and the glam Sapphic soap stars on All My Children.
Besides, Queer Eye’s gay guys are real people, not fictional portrayals. And the show doles out stereotypes all around, casting straight women as interesting accessories meant to stay in the background and straight males as just slightly evolved out of the Neanderthal period. I must confess that it’s nice to finally see heterosexuals as the butt of all the jokes—”Do you shop at Home Depot?” the frustrated “Design Doctor” Thom Filicia asks one of the het men while glancing around his apartment—not to mention putting straights through our own sort of “conversion therapy.”
And there is, of course, the added bonus that Queer Eye too is bothering some of the right people. A commentary on the conservative Cybercast News Service by that icon among far-right activists, Paul Weyrich, is a bizarre testament to that.
“It should come as no surprise that I do not feel compelled to take any fashion or lifestyle tips from the homosexual movement,” Weyrich wrote, regarding Queer Eye and lambasting Bravo and NBC for airing the show. “I say that as someone who was wearing pink shirts back in the 1960s before the color was seized by homosexual activists and politicized. Nowadays, I still wear a pink shirt every now and then as a sign of rebellion against a movement that expects wearers of that color to be sympathetic to their agenda, which I most certainly am not.”
Poor, poor Paul. He actually doesn’t seem to realize that from the moment he put on a pair of BVDs, he was being dressed by some homosexual designer somewhere. Weyrich’s crowd might be able to keep us from getting married—for now—but there truly is no escaping our powerful design grip. Be very afraid!
Michelangelo Signorile hosts a daily radio show on Sirius Satellite Radio, stream 149.
www.signorile.com
The Best Hotel Sites Online
http://www.gfn.com/news/spotlight.phtml?sid=14168&slid=1300
Travel newsletter Out & About designates the following U.S. cities among the gay-friendliest: Ft. Lauderdale; Miami Beach; San Francisco; San Juan, Puerto Rico; and West Hollywood, Calif. It also lists Provincetown and Palm Springs,
can these locations may be targets for TTN markets?
The Best Hotel Sites Online
August 4, 2003
Colin F. Browne
As Labor Day approaches, the final weekend holiday of the summer might mean grabbing your partner, or a couple of friends, and heading out of town for a final hurrah in your sarong. The challenge, as the lapdog days of summer come careening to a halt, is finding a good hotel room for cheap, if you can find one at all.
"If you didn't make a reservation early in the season, you're going to be sleeping on the beach," says Cole Braun, who rents out part of his Provincetown house during the summer months, when local sleeping accommodations become non-existent. With over a million tourists and day-trippers flooding the small Portuguese fishing village turned gay Mecca during holiday weekends, the inn, as they say, is full; so are the B & B's, guest houses and every room anywhere near the far end of Cape Cod, where P-Town sits so remotely.
Our suggestion? Return to tiny resorts like P-Town either earlier in the summer or, heaven forbid, book early. There are still other, wonderful travel options in larger, gay-friendly cities for weekend trips that will make finding a room a doable task, even late in the summer.
Travel newsletter Out & About designates the following U.S. cities among the gay-friendliest: Ft. Lauderdale; Miami Beach; San Francisco; San Juan, Puerto Rico; and West Hollywood, Calif. It also lists Provincetown and Palm Springs, but as noted by at least one local, snagging a room may depend more on the spontaneous kindness of strangers than a thorough Internet search. Given the odds, most of us will probably stick with the Internet.
Availability on the Cheap
Start with the major travel sites, which include my favorites Expedia, Orbitz and Travelocity.
Expedia works with more than 53,000 hotels worldwide and has negotiated special rates with more than 9,000 of them. Orbitz recently beefed up its hotel section by allowing independent hotels to sell rooms through the site; Orbitz also bests the other sites with a gay and lesbian micro-site that offers vacation packages – which include airfare, hotels and car rentals – geared to gay travelers and their concerns (like trips for gay families with children).
Hotels.com and Quickbook.com offer something the competitors don't: lowest-price guarantees. If you find a comparable room in the same hotel and on the same dates within 24 hours of booking your room with them, they will honor the lower rate or waive the cancellation fee. Quickbook has been a Forbes Best of the Web for three years running. I've found when a site offers independent reviews from notable publications, it's generally worth a second look.
You might also try Travelweb, who partners with Marriott International, Hilton Hotels, Hyatt, Six Continents Hotels and Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide. You can search for rooms directly at Travelweb's site, but results are not easily listed in order of price or location. Moreover, you can also find these hotels' rooms listed on other travel sites.
One of the mysteries of the Internet includes the fact that different sites will offer wildly differing prices for the same room, in the same hotel, on the same night. So compare hotels using different sites to find the best deal.
Cheaper Still When the Site Picks the Hotel
You can save a bundle using name-your-price sites like Priceline and Hotwire, but what you save is offset by not knowing which hotel you're bidding on. Minor details like exact names and locations are unknown until after you've made your purchase. Still, a good friend of mine found a fabulous midtown-Manhattan hotel a few months ago for $70-a-night. OK, it was on the Eastside and he wanted to be on the Westside, but for him it was worth the savings…and it might be for you, too.
If you've never used Priceline, they require you to submit your credit card before placing a bid, and if it is accepted, your credit card is billed automatically. At Hotwire, the prices are transparent, but the exact hotel and its location are not. You only find out exactly where you're staying after you've paid.
2003 GFN.com. All Rights Reserved.
Catwalking toward the mainstream
http://www.yorkdispatch.com/Stories/0,1413,138~10023~1551302,00.html
Catwalking toward the mainstream
In era of 'Boy Meets Boy,' Miss Gay Pa. contest fills North York nightclub
By LAURA GIOVANELLI Dispatch/Sunday News
They slip on size 12 stilettos and sprinkle themselves with sequins and perfumed dabs of White Diamonds, tease their curls to the sky and purse crimson lips in compact mirrors.
"Everything has to be big on stage," announces a statuesque brunette, her confection of a wig nearly brushing the ceiling tiles as she strides around in tall black boots. Between the boots and the hair, she's added at least another 12 inches to her six-foot-three frame.
A girl's got to look good, especially, when she -- he -- is not really a girl.
With a shimmy and a shake and some Barbara Streisand and Madonna thrown in for good measure, the 15th Miss Gay Pennsylvania was crowned Saturday night -- not in Philadelphia, not in Pittsburgh, not even in our slightly more metropolitan neighbor just up Interstate 83 -- but in North York's The Velvet Rope nightclub.
Leslie Flores, who came to cheer on her friend, Miss Gay York America Jose "Lequitcha" Rodriguez, laughed as the first of the night's many drag queens and guest entertainers shook a convincingly-filled beaded brasserie.
"I think York's just entered the 21st century," she said.
If you came expecting Junior Miss ... there's no way you came expecting Junior Miss.
Eight contestants from across the state competed for the two coveted slots -- the state's titleholder and the first runner-up -- that would qualify them for Miss Gay America 2004. The 32nd national pageant will be in Little Rock, Ark., from Oct. 8 to 12.
The pageant had a chance to grow when it was moved to The Velvet Rope, its promoters say. The club is larger than previous venues in Reading and Harrisburg, and promoter Bobby Coxx says he thinks the state pageant will come to York again next year.
Club owner Chuck Lambert estimated a capacity crowd at more than 400, the largest for any event the 3-year-old club has hosted.
"I'm a straight, married woman, and I think society needs to take a second look and respect their creativity," Flores said.
She sat at a table, taking photos of the contestants parading in the creative costume competition. She cheered when "Rodi" strolled on stage encased in a giant pinata and chased by a man waving a stick. The pinata broke open, revealing Rodriguez's second costume -- an oversized cellophane-wrapped candy.
"Plus, you can't see this at Fat Daddy's," Flores said.
Glitz and glamour: What has changed in the decades since the days when men first strutted in heels for rhinestone crowns is that the Hollywood glitz many of these contestants emulate is catching up with gay culture.
Sitcoms like "Will and Grace," movies and reality television have propelled gay culture into prime time and the mainstream, says "Poison," who was Miss Gay Pennsylvania 2003.
"It means that we're visible. That's the first step of having to deal with it in any form."
In York, drag queens' made-up faces might get more leers than cheers, but veteran queen Michael "Stephanie Micheals" Pool says diversity can be found anywhere. No protesters showed up Saturday night, but Micheals has seem them at other pageants. He just walks on by, ladylike, and gets in his car and drives away.
"It gets their goat when you don't say a word," he said.
Some drag queens say the lipstick and the lingerie isn't about being female as much as it is about casting the illusion of one, about keeping one foot in one world, and a satin pump in the other. They're not transvestites -- they dress like women for the fun and the spoils, but it's one of the first things gawkers ask them: do you want to be a woman?
"I have no desire to be a woman," says pageant winner Vaughn "Vaunessa Vale" Kessler, also Miss Gay Berks County America but a resident of Gouldsboro, Pa.
Almost twice the age of the other contestants at 44, theatrically-trained Kessler has done female impersonation since the early 1990s. Slipping on and off like a pair of control top pantyhose, a drag queen's persona is swathed in their interpretation of what it means to be more woman than most women know.
"I'm into the glamour. The jewelry, the feathers, the wigs ..." Kessler says.
"It's like if you ever wanted to be someone else for a weekend," says James Williams -- "Jasmine James" when he's a she. Saturday night, Williams was in jeans, helping Miss Harrisburg, Amethyst "Dustin Brown" Diamond, shimmy into slinky gowns and an elaborate Kali, the multi-armed Hindu goddess of destruction, costume.
Evening gown sequins and fake eyelashes become accessories with an attitude mens' clothes don't, he says. "I'm able to talk better. I'm shy but when I have on a face, I'm more aggressive."
jcradio....link to article? One thing I know about Hillary speaking style is that she always expresses gratitude for what she had in life....once you provide the link and we get to read the article in it's entirety I think we can better judge what Hillary was saying...
thanks
Local religious community react to Bush proposal on gay marriages
http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/news-article.aspx?storyid=6522
Local religious community react to Bush proposal on gay marriages
Rev. Julia Seward
Rev. Gary DeBusk
Rev. Jerry Vines
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By Kyle Meenan, First Coast News
JACKSONVILLE, FL -- The local religious community reacted to the President's call to ban gay marriage -- expressing reasons of religious scripture, the Constitution and basic human rights.
Reverend Julia Seward of the Metropolitan Community Church is an ordained minister and says she is disappointed with President Bush's call for a ban of same-sex unions.
"[The President] wants to prevent any passing of civil or legal marriages because of religious influence. There's a very specific reason why church and state are separate," said Rev. Julia Seward.
Pastor Gary DeBusk of the Christ Church of Peace said it's inappropriate for the President to impose religious issues on the American people. He says as Americans we need to follow the Constitution and not the Bible on this issue.
"I believe the Baptists have a right to believe what they want. The Catholics have a right to believe what they want. But to state that is to be imposed on all is unacceptable," said Rev. Gary DeBusk.
Reverend Jerry Vines of the First Baptist Church is a staunch supporter of banning gay marriage. He says the scripture is clear in condemning homosexual activity.
"I certainly agree with the President that a marriage is the union between a male and female," said Rev. Jerry Vines, First Baptist Church. "[But] it doesn't mean we condemn people who are involved in it. We love them and want them to know there is hope. They can come to the Lord and he can change their life."
Unitarian Universalist Anne Marie Alderman is praying for a compromise from local lawmakers.
"I hope they soon pass a human rights ordinance that says it's okay to give basic rights and privileges to any person regardless of their sexual orientation.
Share your opinion on this topic in our Talk Back! Discussion Boards.
Related article:
- Bush Shuns Calls to Legalize Gay Marriage
Created: 8/4/2003 6:48:25 AM
Updated: 8/4/2003 11:32:29 AM
© 2003 First Coast News All rights reserved. This material may not be published, rewritten, or redistributed.
jcradio....can't fight city hall. Gore won by popular vote..that's all we need to know on who the American people wanted for pres
jm...
who used the word *haters*?
also believe he would go to war for the minorities and the majority, if their Constitutional Rights or security was being threatened from without.
this is what it's all about...the violation of their constitutional rights..and where is he? calling gay people sinners?...does this guy not recognize he was elected to represent all Americans?
Queer Eye's Casting Call
http://www.nynewsday.com/news/local/queens/nyc-nyeye043401525aug04,0,6551365.story?coll=nyc-manheadl...
Queer Eye's Casting Call
By Charles Enloe
STAFF WRITER
August 4, 2003
Fashion and decorating advice aren't the things that will get most rumpled straight guys out of the house on a Sunday.
But yesterday was different for a few dozen New Yorkers, who headed to an East Elmhurst hotel to try to score a new look on the Bravo television series "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy."
The show held a casting call for heterosexuals who could use some advice from a team of five gay men with expertise in style, grooming and interior design.
The men who showed up for a chance to be on the show ranged from a promotional display company employee who referred to himself as "Captain Caveman" to a rock and roll band member covered in tattoos and piercings.
Another man admitted that his apartment is furnished with items from his parents' house and his college dorm room.
"Unfortunately, some stereotypes are true," said Jeremy Filner, 29, a middle school teacher from Sunnyside whose girlfriend advised him to try out for the show. "There are a lot of straight guys out there that have no clue."
Tommy Marsden, 30, of Rocky Point - aka the caveman - said that he hopes the show's Fab Five can help him be taken more seriously the next time he volunteers for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Right now he's seen as a "long-haired hippie freak," he said.
"Most people don't ask me questions because I have long hair and they think I'm an idiot," Marsden said. "But when I do talk, I blow them away because I know what I'm talking about."
Marsden and his wife are big fans of the new show, and were excited about a potential appearance. But not all the men who went to the Courtyard by Marriott near LaGuardia Airport had planned to compete for a spot on television.
Joseph Cutone, 40, a pharmacist from Astoria, was at the hotel's pool when he saw signs for the casting call, and knew he should go for it. Cutone, who is married and has three children, wore royal blue sweatpants and a yellow polo shirt as he talked to casting agents about his lifestyle.
"I'm a conservative dresser," he said after his interview. "I go to a friend for a haircut. Maybe the professionals do a better job."
Tighe said the show hopes to choose its next seven participants by the end of this month.
Copyright © 2003, Newsday, Inc.
jm...no break should ever be given for blatant discrimination and potential incitement of anti gay haters under the umbrella of gw calling them sinners....he wasn't elected as pope george...he was elected to represent all the people...what he said was a disgrace
personal opinion on this message....at least the pope had enough class not to call them sinners
pope: against gay marriages and gay adoption
http://abclocal.go.com/wls/news/080303_ns_gayheadline.html
Cardinal George lashes out at gay marriage headline
By Sarah Schulte
August 3, 2003 — For the first time since the Vatican came out reaffirming its opposition of gay marriages last week, Cardinal Francis George talked about the issue from the pulpit.
This comes after President Bush discussed a possible ban on same-sex marriages.
Last week the Vatican called for lawmakers worldwide to vote against legalizing same-sex marriages. The issue resulted in a newspaper headline that Cardinal George says is false.
Sunday the cardinal talked about his disappointment in that headline before the congregation at Holy Name Cathedral and answered reporters' questions at a South Side church.
For the first time in his six years as the archbishop of Chicago, Cardinal Francis George is using the pulpit to vent, or as he says, defends the Pope. It all has to do with Friday's headline in the Sun-Times -- "Pope launches global campaign against gays".
"What does the printing of a false accusation against the Holy Father in a major Chicago daily say about anti-Catholicism here? This is a question, as a native of Chicago, I never believed I would have to ask," Cardinal George said.
The Sun-Times headline came a day after the Vatican released a 12-page document reaffirming its position against legalizing gay marriages. The Vatican urged catholic lawmakers worldwide to vote against bills allowing same-sex marriages. In addition, the document denounced gays adopting children.
Given that, the Sun-Times says, "we believe the headline accurately reflects the view on same-sex marriage and the role that the church requires catholic politicians to play in this issue."
Cardinal George insists the headline is false and he is embarrassed for the city of Chicago.
"I don't enjoy public controversy. But I think a line was crossed," Cardinal George said.
While some agree the headline was harsh, they disagree with the Vatican's position on same-sex marriage. "I think they should have a right to be married under the law," said one parishioner. "If two people love each other, it makes no difference," said another.
The Vatican chose last week to reaffirm its position on gay marriage because several governments, including Canada, are considering legalizing same-sex marriages.
As for the Sun-Times headline, Cardinal George says he has written an apology to the pope. He has written about his disappointment in the headlines and also he has no plans on asking for a retraction, either. What's done, is done at this point.
A U.S. Senate panel will look at whether there should be a new law that will strengthen the definition of marriage as a union only between a man and a woman. The talks will begin at the end of the summer recess.
You can see the ABC7 report by clicking on the video icon at the upper right. You will need Real Player 8 to view this video. You can get it FREE by clicking here. NOTE: Video clips will only be available for 10-days from the date they were created.
Last Updated: Aug 3, 2003
Gay bishop-elect wins 1st of 2 last votes
http://www.bayarea.com/mld/cctimes/6451266.htm
Posted on Sun, Aug. 03, 2003
Gay bishop-elect wins 1st of 2 last votes
By RACHEL ZOLL
Associated Press
MINNEAPOLIS - A New Hampshire clergyman moved a step closer Sunday to becoming the first openly gay elected bishop in the Episcopal Church, winning one of two final votes required to be confirmed.
The House of Deputies, a legislative body composed of clergy and lay people from dioceses nationwide, voted to approve the Rev. V. Gene Robinson as bishop of New Hampshire. He faces a final vote Monday in the House of Bishops.
Robinson said he felt "very peaceful on the inside" and "very humbled" by the results. He appealed to opponents not to leave the church, but said he would not be responsible if they did.
"I'm carrying a lot on my shoulders," he said. "I'm not going to carry that."
The American Anglican Council, which represents conservative bishops and parishes, said it was "deeply grieved" by the results.
The council and like-minded overseas bishops in the Anglican Communion have said they would consider breaking ties with the denomination if Robinson is confirmed. Episcopalians form the U.S. branch of the 77-million-member global association of churches.
"It is a tragic decision that leads the Episcopal Church to the brink of shattering the Anglican Communion," the council said in a statement.
The House of Deputies used a complex procedure that required clergy and lay people in diocesan delegations to cast separate ballots. Robinson needed a majority of votes in each delegation to win. In the combined results, 128 delegations voted yes and 63 voted no. The votes of 25 delegations were not counted because their members were divided.
Robinson, a 56-year-old divorced father of two, has lived with his partner, Mark Andrew, for 13 years. If he is confirmed at this week's Episcopal General Convention, it will have an impact far beyond his diocese.
Bishops who believe gay sex is a sin contend that allowing Robinson to serve is a tacit endorsement of ordaining homosexuals. If conservatives decide to leave the church, it will spark a bitter fight over parish property and funds and undercut the denomination's influence.
But liberals said the threat has been exaggerated, and note that many conservatives had pledged to break ties before over issues such as ordaining women but did not follow through.
Robinson was elected by his diocese in June, but the church requires that a majority of convention delegates ratify his election. It is rare for the General Convention to reject a diocese's choice of bishop.
The vote by the House of Deputies came after about an hour of emotional but polite debate.
Bonnie Anderson, a parishioner from the Diocese of Michigan, said deputies should not be swayed by warnings about a potential split in the church.
"You may be afraid - afraid of schism and afraid it will hurt your church budget. Don't be afraid," she said. "The power behind you and within you is far greater than the resistance before you."
George Marshall, a parishioner from the Diocese of Albany, N.Y., said confirming Robinson would send a damaging message that Episcopalians are guided by shifting cultural attitudes, not by Scripture.
"It will prove once again that our church doesn't have the confidence to proclaim the Gospel," Marshall said. "Do not do this thing."
A chaplain led the deputies in prayer before their vote. The president of the legislative body had asked them to remain quiet when the results were announced and they complied.
Robinson has served as assistant to the retiring New Hampshire bishop. He has repeatedly rejected calls from opponents to withdraw his candidacy to prevent a breakup of the church, as a gay clergyman in England did recently.
A final vote in favor of Robinson could build momentum for approving blessing ceremonies for same-sex couples, Episcopalians on both sides of the issue say. A decision on the proposed ceremony is expected later in the meeting, which runs through Friday.
ON THE WEB:
Episcopal Church: http://www.episcopalchurch.org
Church takes same-sex warning to the pulpit
http://www.cbc.ca/stories/2003/08/03/samesex_030803
Church takes same-sex warning to the pulpit
Last Updated Sun, 03 Aug 2003 21:50:00
TORONTO - As gays and lesbians celebrated federal legislation that would allow same-sex marriages, some Roman Catholic parishioners were getting a different message at Sunday services.
On orders from the Vatican, the Catholic Church started outlining the church's opposition to the draft bill unveiled last month.
INDEPTH: Same-sex rights
At St. Michael's Cathedral in Toronto, church officials handed out pamphlets explaining Vatican guidelines that warn it is immoral to support same-sex unions.
The Vatican launched a global campaign against same-sex marriage July 31 urging Roman Catholic politicians and others to oppose all legal efforts to sanctify homosexual unions.
A priest at St. Michael's Cathedral holds up a statement from the Vatican
Its 12-page decree warned Catholic politicians that they have a moral duty to keep same-sex unions from being legalized. "Marriage is holy, while homosexual acts go against the natural moral law," the document reads.
Many participants at Montréeal's gay pride parade on Sunday said the Church is woefully out-of-date and close-minded.
Two popular radio and television hosts mocked the Church and its position as they paraded down the streets dressed as bishops.
"I was really shocked that this religion calls my friends enemies of the state," said Richard Martineau, with broadcaster Télé-Québec.
"We're a little outraged with this hypocrisy," said Benoit Dutrizac, a Québec TV personality.
At Vancouver's gay pride parade, Ellen Woodsworth, one of two openly gay city councilors, said the controversy has helped bring the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender communities together.
"I think it's standing up to what the Vatican is doing and saying that there's a separation between church and state," she said.
Despite the divisions, politicians and churches are looking ways to end the controversy. "The vast majority of my constituents in Scarborough centre have indicated they are in favour of marriage as it stands today," said John Cannis, a Liberal MP for Scarborough Centre in Ontario.
Cannis says they also want to find solutions to accommodate everyone else.
The rector at St. Michael's, Monsignor Samuel Biance, said there's another way to deal with the controversy.
"Perhaps the better way to avoid all the division in society is to have all unions registered by the government and call them civil unions and leave marriages up to the individual churches and communities" he said.
Written by CBC News Online staff
London Pride An Arresting Sight
http://www.365gay.com/NewsContent/072703londonPride.htm
London Pride An Arresting Sight
by Peter Moore
365Gay.com Newscenter
London Bureau
Posted: July 27, 2003 12:01 a.m. ET
(London) London's Pride parade was led off Saturday by the Metropolitan Police's Commander Brian Paddick, the highest ranking gay officer in a major force. Behind him were 85 other LGBT officers, the first time gay police have been allowed by the force to participate in the parade in uniform.
45 of the officers were in full navy blue uniform. Behind them were another 40 plain-clothes officers wearing white tee-shirts and baseball caps. All were members of the MET's Gay Police Association.
An officer on duty on the parade route saluted as the contingent marched past. He later praised the group saying: "It's a good thing they went on the other side of the barrier. They had to do that. Gay people shouldn't be underground."
The parade, which like those in most cities featured its fair share of drag queens and leather men, marched past the houses of parliament, Downing Street and Trafalgar Square to Hyde Park.
Despite rainy weather more than 60,000 people participated in the parade many of them dancing their way along the route to the sounds of club music blaring from sound trucks.
The highlight of the day though was the Pride in the Park party in Hyde Park which attracted tens of thousands of people, a far cry from last year when the party was relegated to the outskirts of the city.
"This year's Pride has shown how far we've come over the last few decades," said Ben Summerskill, of LGBT rights group Stonewall.
Highlighting the acts at Pride in the Park were Soft Cell, Appleton, Mis-Teeq and Boy George.
©365Gay.com® 2003
Majority In New Jersey Support Gay Marriage
http://www.365gay.com/NewsContent/072803JerseyMarriagePoll.htm
Majority In New Jersey Support Gay Marriage
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff
Posted: July 28, 2003 6:11 p.m. ET
(New York City) A poll released Monday shows that a majority of people in New Jersey believe gays and lesbians should have the right to marry. It is the first time in the US that a poll has indicated majority support for gay marriage.
The survey, taken by the Zogby International polling company was commissioned by four New Jersey PFLAG chapters.
55 percent of more than 800 likely voters said the state’s ban on same-sex marriage should be abolished. Only 41 percent said it should be retained.
The poll showed that while there was overall support throughout the state for same-sex marriage the most positive opinions came from the southern part of the state.
Sixty percent of those polled in South Jersey support gay marriage, as opposed to 53 percent of North Jerseyans and 52 percent of those who live in Central Jersey.
Seven New Jersey couples denied marriage licenses are currently suing the state in a case likely to go to the New Jersey Supreme Court and possibly to the US Supreme Court.
The Zogby poll released Monday is the latest in a series of surveys on American attitudes toward same-sex couples. Earlier this month two national polls indicated that opposition to gay marriage is softening, although most Americans still believe same-sex couples should be barred from marriage. (story)
Laura Pople, the president of the New Jersey Lesbian and Gay Coalition, said she isn't surprised that New Jersey is the first state to overwhelmingly support gay marriage.
"New Jersey has been on the forefront of the gay community's efforts to achieve equality for decades," Pople told a news conference.
©365Gay.com® 2003
Gephardts Join PFLAG....
http://www.365gay.com/NewsContent/073003GepPflag.htm
Gephardts Join PFLAG
by Doreen Brandt
365Gay.com Newscenter
Washington Bureau
Posted: July 30, 2003 11:57 a.m. ET
(Washington, D.C.) Democratic presidential contender Dick Gephardt and his wife Jane have joined PFLAG. It is the first time that a candidate for the presidency from a major party has become a member of the organization that represents gay and lesbian families.
The congressman from Missouri and his wife have long been openly supportive and accepting of their lesbian daughter, Chrissy.
PFLAG, while stopping short of an endorsement for Gephardt's campaign praised the congressman and Ms Gephardt.
"It is with great pleasure that we welcome Dick and Jane Gephardt into the PFLAG family," said PFLAG national president Sam Thoron in a statement.
"Dick and Jane have demonstrated to the world their love and support for their daughter, Chrissy. Their family values are clearly aligned with PFLAG's mission."
Gephardt has frequently spoken positively of Chrissy and her sexuality to the media and at political events. He also has made his daughter an official part of his presidential campaign and acknowledges her partner, Amy, on his website.
Gephardt will speak at PFLAG's Great Lakes Regional Conference in mid-October. "It's clear that the Gephardts understand the importance of fairness and inclusion for all," said PFLAG executive director David Tseng.
Vice President Dick Cheney is also the father of a lesbian. Mary Cheney is out, was an active mdember of his 2000 campaign, and is involved in his re-election bid. The Vice President and Ms Cheney are not PFLAG members.
A poll last week of likely voters in the New Hampshire Democratic primary showed Gephardt running third. Of the front runners, Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass) had 25 percent, former Vermont governor Howard Dean was second with 19 percent and Gephardt had 10 per cent. But, nearly a third of those polled said they were undecided.
©365Gay.com® 2003
on this last post a personal comment...too bad gw thought it was so ok to incite Americans to the possibility of anti gay crimes.....under the umbrella of the pres said they were sinners
Distribute Vatican Anti-Gay Marriage Document & Face Jail Irish Priests Warned
http://www.365gay.com/NewsContent/080203irishPriests.htm
Distribute Vatican Anti-Gay Marriage Document & Face Jail Irish Priests Warned
by Jon ben Asher
365Gay.com Newscenter
European Bureau Chief
Posted: August 2, 2003 12:02 a.m. ET
(Dublin) Priests and bishops are being warned that they face charges in Ireland if they distribute the Vatican's denouncement of gay marriage.
The Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) said Friday that priests who quote sections of the document, hand it out, or send it to politicians or other citizens could be prosecuted under Ireland's strict incitement to hatred legislation.
The 12 page document released this week in seven languages describes gay marriage as "evil" and says "legal recognition of homosexual unions or placing them on the same level as marriage would mean not only the approval of deviant behavior." (story) It also says that "Allowing children to be adopted by persons living in such unions would actually mean doing violence to these children
Published by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, it states that Catholics have a duty to oppose the introduction and operation of legislation recognizing same-sex unions. It instructs priests to tell politicians they have a duty to vote against any such moves.
Aisling Reidy, director of the ICCL, warned yesterday that the statement could be in violation of the 1989 Incitement to Hatred Act. Those convicted under the Act can face jail terms of up to six months.
"The document itself may not violate the Act, but if you were to use the document to say that gays are evil, it is likely to give rise to hatred, which is against the Act," Reidy said. "The wording is very strong and certainly goes against the spirit of the legislation."
Under the Act literature which is threatening, abusive or insulting, linked with the intent of stirring up hatred, is illegal.
©365Gay.com® 2003
Bush Using Gays As Political Ploy Frank Charges
http://www.365gay.com/NewsContent/080103frankBush.htm
Bush Using Gays As Political Ploy Frank Charges
by Paul Johnson
365Gay.com Newscenter
Washington Bureau Chief
Posted: August 1, 2003 12:01 a.m. ET
(Washington, D.C.) Rep Barney Frank (D-Mass) accused the president Thursday of using gay marriage as a smokescreen in a callous attempt to divert attention from rising unemployment and other issues.
"Faced with bad news on virtually every important policy front -- Iraq, North Korea, Liberia, the deficit, unemployment, congressional deadlock on prescription drugs -- President Bush has taken the advice of his chief advisor, [Karl]. Rove, and tried to change the subject, even though it means repudiating a position taken by vice presidential candidate Dick Cheney at the height of the presidential campaign.
Wednesday, as reported first by 365Gay.com, President Bush said White House lawyers are looking at legislation to prevent states and the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriage. (story) Although the president did not specifically say he was supporting a constitutional amendment in the House that would bar same-sex couples from marrying, the comments were taken as an endorsement, winning praise from the far right of the GOP, angering gay activists, and dominating TV coverage for the next 24 hours.
Yet, earlier this month Bush said he did not believe an Amendment was necessary in light of the federal Defense of Marriage Act. In 1999, during the presidential campaign, Vice President Dick Cheney during a debate said that marriage is the responsibility of individual states. Cheney, who has a lesbian daughter said that "we ought to do everything we can to tolerate and accommodate whatever kind of relationships people want to enter into."
Frank called the administration's reversal a shell game.
" As with the war in Iraq, we are now told that Mr. Cheney's campaign assertion is to be filed under the heading of "never mind," and the American people are to be persuaded that repelling the threat of same-sex couples rivals unemployment, trillions in new debt, and a quagmire in Iraq as problems facing the nation."
The Massachusetts gay Democrat, one of the most articulate members of the House accused Bush of using a tried and proven GOP "diversion tactic."
"If the tactic seems familiar, it's because it is. In 1996, faced with Bill Clinton's popularity, the Republicans rolled out the Defense of Marriage Act, asserting -- wholly falsely it is now clear -- that a tidal wave of gay marriages was about to surge out of Hawaii and engulf America.
"With President Bush's popularity dropping and the serious problems confronting America worsening, the Administration seeks to divert attention by demagoguing on the issue of same-sex unions," the Congressman said.
"Incredibly, Mr. Bush is trying to persuade the country that instead of persistent high unemployment, one trillion dollars in new federal debt over the next two years, continued American deaths in Iraq, unhindered progress towards a North Korean nuclear capacity and a bogging down on his agenda in Congress, Americans should be seriously worried about the prospect that two men who love each other might be allowed to become legally and financially responsible for each other."
A White House spokesperson denied attempted to highjack Wednesday's media briefing in the Rose Garden saying only that the President was responding to a question posed by a reporter.
©365Gay.com® 2003
I agree...thanks to Art and Josh. eom
Pride Sails Through Amsterdam
http://www.365gay.com/NewsContent/080303amsterdamPride.htm
Pride Sails Through Amsterdam
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff
Posted: August 3, 2003 12:02 a.m. ET
(Amsterdam) Amsterdam's Gay Pride flowed down the city's canals Saturday as more than 300,000 people celebrated in the city dubbed the gay capital of the world.
80 boats decorated with the colors of organizations and clubs were filled with partiers.
Organizers had called for for people to doff their clothing as a protest to calls for a cleanup of the city's infamous red light district. Few heeded the call. Nevertheless there was enough nudity to titillate.
Aboard one float, sponsored by the city's museums, a group wore costumes on loan from the Italian opera, Don Giovanni. Other floats featured drag queens and leather men.
Many of the boats carried banners denouncing the Pope for his condemnation of gay marriage. The Netherlands was the first country in the world to legalize same-sex marriage.
Since then Belgium has legalized gay marriage, and most other European Union countries offer some benefits of marriage to couples in civil unions.
©365Gay.com® 2003
DEAR MR. PRESIDENT
http://www.metrog.com/headline/articles03/080303_mrpresident.html
DEAR MR. PRESIDENT
I'm Writing You This Letter Because ...
by Kelly Wine - Independent Submitter
August 3, 2003
As a gay man and citizen of the USA, I was greatly troubled, angered, and horrified to hear your discriminatory comments against the LGBT community during your rose garden question/answer session with the press this past Wednesday. Equality is a defining factor for all citizens of this country. Yet, being equal is something that LGBT citizens struggle toward daily due to the arrogance and audacity of religious fundamentalist and political leaders such as yourself. My partner and I are in a 5 year Domestic Partnership and would marry if we were legally allowed. It would give us rights and privileges that heterosexual couples take for granted. We are offered none of these benefits even though our love for each other and relationship is as real as yours and Mrs. Bush. Equal means exactly that President Bush. It is an absolute term. Two quantities either are or are not equal. There are not varying degrees of equality, hence, you are not more equal than I am. Yet, it is said that homosexuals are fighting for "special" rights. We are not. We are fighting for equal rights, meaning the same rights and benefits that heterosexual society enjoys.
EQUAL - having the same privileges, status, or rights.
Homophobes across the globe say that homosexuals "choose" to be gay. Its also said that Gay adoption/parenting will cause the children to be gay. The last I checked, both of my parents were heterosexual. So are the parents of all of my gay friends and their gay friends. So how does it turn out that I am gay man raised by straight parents? Did I "choose" my sexuality? Could I choose to be straight? Could you choose to be gay? When did you decide that you wanted to be heterosexual Mr. President? We in the LGBT community would like to know.
Much of the aggression against the LGBT community is from fear and ignorance. Its a fact that once people learn about someone different from them self, the fear dissolves away into knowledge and understanding. On one hand conservatives/religious fundamentalists say they're against homosexuals because they believe that we are promiscuous or uncommitted or indecent or disrespectful or immoral or sinners. This can be said about much of heterosexual society also. Have you watched Elimidate or Paradise Hotel? Have you watched the news reporting weekly indiscretions of our politicians? And what about our pedastalled music superstars and sports figures that America reveres, but many end up in court on charges of rape or violent acts or in nasty divorce cases? These are real people not actors! Yet, when gays want to be married and committed and have loving relationships and equality and rights that mirror heterosexual society, we are pushed down by the same opposing conservatives and fundamentalist groups.
So, let's take a look at your comments from July 30, 2003, Mr. President. When asked about your stance on homosexuality, you said, "Yeah, I'm mindful that we're all sinners. And I caution those who may try to take the speck out of their neighbor's eye when they got a log in their own. I think it's very important for our society to respect each individual, to welcome those with good hearts, to be a welcoming country. On the other hand, that does not mean that somebody like me needs to compromise on an issue such as marriage. And that's really where the issue is headed here in Washington, and that is the definition of marriage. I believe in the sanctity of marriage. I believe a marriage is between a man and a woman. And I think we ought to codify that one way or the other. And we've got lawyers looking at the best way to do that."
SANCTITY - Regarded with or worthy of worship or veneration; revered; living according to a strict or highly moral religious or spiritual system; devotion; goodness; purity; regarded as deserving special respect or reverence.
I take exception to most of what you uttered regarding homosexuality. Firstly, the word "sanctity" has been bandied about a lot by Christian fundamentalists in regard to gay marriage and rights. The definition above is a doozy. Dear Mr. President, shall we hold your life under a microscope and see if you come close to this? That was a rhetorical question. People use this word when trying to disparage the relationships of those who don't share their own religious views. I do not share your views of goodness or reverence or morality or religion. Thank God! At the same instant, I believe that you are entitled to your beliefs and would never protest or try to change laws limiting your rights, or go out of my way to keep you from living your life the way you see fit, unless you were harming or killing others.
SIN - Something shameful or wrong.
Referring to homosexuals as "sinners" is presuming that everyone in the world shares your beliefs in the Bible, how "sin" is interpreted, and who is interpreting it. My loving someone and sharing my life as part of a committed couple is not wrong, nor will I feel shame. Homosexual citizens are slandered by people that say our preference is sinful. Their tired accusations that Gay marriage will result in bestiality, incest, pedophilia, and a host of other monstrous scare tactics, is equally slanderous. These are the same folks that decades ago tried to frighten God fearing Americans by telling them that Interracial marriage would turn the world upside-down and America would be transformed into a hellish society. Of course this was never the case and the bigots spinning these tales of horror have been proven wrong many times over. The fact is, there is a difference between sex with animals, family, or children and Gay marriage. Like Heterosexual marriage, Gay marriage would be a legal commitment between two consenting adults. This is not a sin. It is not shameful or wrong. What is wrong is the fatal beatings of lesbians, gays, bisexual and transgender people by what is usually a group of straight male bullies. What is wrong is the Pope denouncing Gay marriage and equality and saying that Gay adoption should be considered a violent crime against children. The Pope, nor yourself ever mentioned the fact the Catholic church has continued to cover up the molestation, rape, and impregnation of children by priests in the church. This must have slipped your minds. What is wrong is to drop bombs and kill innocent people because they have a leader who is evil or they hold profitable oil under their land. Anyone who orders such hateful, violent acts against humanity should feel the heaviest burden of shame and wrong-doing on their shoulders.
RESPECT - Having regard for and avoiding violation of someone.
"Respect" was something you spoke of in your views about homosexuals. When a heterosexual person or couple walk into a room, people don't immediately think, "Hey, that person has lawful heterosexual sex." Yet, when a homosexual person enters a room (and people are aware they are gay), the first thing that pops to mind is our sex life. News flash; sex for gays makes up just as much of our life as heterosexuals. We aren't having sex 24 hours a day. We are human beings with lives and personalities and hobbies and hopes and fears and dreams. Discriminating against a group because you don't understand them is not respectful. Being in a position of power and using that power to reduce people's rights is not respectful. Going out of your way to make a person or group feel less than human solely because of who they love is not respectful. Your words about the LGBT community were disrespectful. Dear Mr. President, please practice what you preach.
You spoke about having to "compromise on an issue such as marriage". May I ask how letting me and my same sex partner marry would compromise your life? We would love to know. You would still be able to hold your beliefs that we are bad people. You would still be married to your wife and have two troubled daughters. You would still be rich and have a sense of entitlement. Gays are submerged in heterosexual society and are forced to deal with it. Along with that, we are expected to keep our lives private. We are not allowed to be who we are. We are erased from history and must sift through books to gain any knowledge of our past. We have compromised for centuries as a community out of necessity. The only compromise you would have is dealing with gay couples walking down streets happily married and standing on equal footing with heterosexual couples. Divert your eyes Mr. President and the compromise won't sting so badly.
So I'm asking for your help Mr. President. The LGBT community wants the right to marry. We want the same marriage benefits and rights as heterosexuals have. There should be no reason why two consenting, unrelated adults should not be allowed to marry. Religion and belief have no place in politics or legal issues such as marriage. We have freedom of religion in this country and our politicians are not suppose to impose their beliefs into our lives or laws. There is such a thing as separation of church and state. I'm asking for the consideration of your statements and the harm they have caused. I'm a good, honest, tax paying citizen of this country. My loving and committed relationship doesn't harm myself, my partner, or anyone else in society. LGBT people have jobs and homes and parents and children and friends and we love just as fully and deeply as heterosexuals. We are all deserving of respect and equal treatment. Loving is not a sin . . . hating is. We demand equality Mr. President. We ask that you do what is right, as painful as it might be for your re-election campaign coffers, and grant us the treatment that ALL American citizens are promised. Equality!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright © metroG.Com
03130
qvTelevision...
http://qvmagazine.com/qvTelevision/
notice this paragraph?
*Coming Soon to qvTelevision™: Chayanne, Ellen Degeneres, Deborah Gibson, Leeza Gibbons, Mikel Erentxun, Alejandro Sanz, Jose Feliciano, Carrie Fisher, Delta Burke, Jane Curtin, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Julie Brown, Bruce Vilanch, and much, much more!
someone needs to point this out to Frank...that these folks can get Ellen Degeneres?
qvMagazine...Latino
http://www.qvmagazine.com/
shoud we assume that the major Latino population is in
NY, LA, Texas, Chicago, SF, Fl...based on the states listed on the bottom here?
divorce statistics.... 2000
http://www.divorcemag.com/statistics/statsUS.shtml
U.S. Divorce Statistics
(2000 except where noted)
Marriage & Divorce:
Total divorces granted in 1997: 1,163,000
Rate per 1,000 population (1999):
(excluding CA, CO, IN and LA)
4.1
State with the lowest divorce rate: (1997) Massachusetts. Rate per 1,000 population: 2.4
State with the higest divorce rate: Nevada. Rate per 1,000 population: (1997) 9.0
Current number of divorced adults (1998): 19,400,000 (9.8%)
Median age at divorce: (1997) Males: 35.6
Females: 33.2
Median duration of marriage: (1997) 7.2 years
Likelihood of new marriages ending in divorce in 1997: 43%
Percentage of marriages that break up within first 15 years in 1995: 43%
Percentage of all householders who are unmarried: 48%
Percentage of weddings which are remarriages for at least one partner in 1997: 43%
Percentage of first marriages that end in divorce in 1997: 50%
Percentage of remarriages that end in divorce in 1997: 60%
Percentage of divorced women who remarry within five years as of 1995: 54%
Estimated average length of divorce proceedings in 1997: 1 year
Adults married and living with one another in 1998: 110.6 million (56%)
Adults between 25 and 34 years old never married in 1998: 14 million (35%)
Percentage of African American adults in this age group never married in 1998: 53%
Percentage of households occupied by one person: 25.5%
Percentage of population (by area of US) who had never married in 1999: Midwest: 28%
Northeast: 28%
South: 26%
West: 29%
People (by gender) 15 years of age and over who have never married: Males: 32,253,000 (31.3% of men)
Females: 27,763,000 (25.1% of women)
Number of married couples: 56,497,000
Number of married people whose spouses are absent: Males: 1,365,000 (1.3%)
Females: 1,365,000
(1.2%)
People who have been widowed: Males: 2,604,000
(2.5%)
Females:11,061,000 (10%)
People who are divorced: Males: 8,572,000 (8.3%)
Females: 11,309,000 (10.2%)
People who are separated: Males: 1,818,000 (1.8%)
Females: 2,661,000 (2.4%)
Median age at first marriage: Males: 26.8
Females: 25.1
Average age at first divorce in 1997: Males: 35
Females: 33
Average age of those divorcing from their second marriages in 1997: Males: 42
Females: 39
Average age of marriage in 1997: Males: 28.7
Females: 25.9
Percentage of people that married under the age of 20 who eventually get divorced as of 1995: 40%
Percentage of people that married over the age of 25 who eventually get divorced as of 1995: 24%
Percentage of couples not affiliated with any religious group who eventually get divorced as of 1995: 46%
Percentage of women whose parents were divorced who get divorced within 10 years as of 1995: 43%
Percentage of women whose parents stayed together who get divorced within 10 years as of 1995: 29%
Interracial married couples: 1,047,000
Number of cohabiting couples: 3.8 million
Percentage of women who cohabited before they turned 30 in 1995: 50%
Percentage of couples living together for more than five years who eventually marry as of 1995: 70%
Number of people divorcing each year as of 1997: 2.5 million
Average length of first marriages which end in divorce in 1997: 11 years
Drop in standard of living of females after divorce: 45%
Number of women who are stalked by a husband or ex-husband every year as of 1997: 380,000
Number of men who are stalked by a wife or ex-wife every year as of 1997:
52,000
Click here for a state-by-state ranking of divorce rates.
Children/Single parents:
Number of children in new divorces each year as of 1997: 1 million
Percentage of parents who had never married in 1998: Males: 35%
Females: 42%
Percentage of households which are family households: 68.8%
Percentage of households with their own children under 18: 33%
Percentage of married householders with kids: 24%
Percentage of family households with children with only one parent in 1998: 27%
Percentage of all households run by single moms: 9.2%
Percentage of all households run by single dads: 1.9%
Number of adults living in a home maintained by one or both parents in 1998: 22 million
Number of single parents: Males: 2.04 million
Females: 9.68 million
Estimated number of children involved in divorce in 1997: 1,075,000
Rate per 1,000 population children under 18 involved in divorce in 1997: 16.8
Children under 18 years of age living with just one parent in 1998: 20 million (28%)
Percentage of children in single-parent homes living with their mother in 1998: 84%
Percentage of children living with single parents for whom no other adults were present in the household in 1998: 56%
Children under 18 living in the household of their grandparents in 1998: 4 million (6%)
Total families in which the child lived with two parents in 1997: 25.6 million
Total single fathers maintaining their own household: 1.786 million
Total single fathers living in the home of a relative: 240,000
Total single fathers who are divorced: 913,000
Total single fathers never married: 693,000
Total single fathers who were separated in 1997: 260,000
Total single fathers raising one child: 1,300,000
Total single fathers raising four or more children: 55,000
Total single mothers maintaining their own household: 7.571 million
Total single mothers living in the home of a relative: 1.633 million
Total single mothers who are divorced: 3.392 million
Total single mothers never married: 4.181 million
Total single mothers raising one child: 5.239 million
Total single mothers raising four or more children: 475,000
Percentage of children (by race) living in two-parent households in 1998: White: 74%
Black: 36%
Hispanic: 64%
Percentage of children living with one parent who lived with a divorced parent in 1997: 38%
Percentage of children living with one parent who lived with a never-married parent in 1997: 35%
Percentage of children living with one parent who lived with a separated parent in 1997: 19%
Percentage of children living with one parent who lived with a widowed parent in 1997: 4%
Percentage of children living with one parent whose spouse lived elsewhere because of business or some other reason in 1997: 4%
Percentage of children in two-parent households whose parents were college graduates in 1998: 29%
Percentage of children in single-parent households whose parents were college graduates in 1998: 9%
Percentage of children with single parents (by gender) earning under $12,500 in 1998: Living with fathers: 17%
Living with mothers: 41%
Single-parent children living in metropolitan areas in 1997: 14.5 million
Single-parent children living in cities with populations of 1 million or more in 1997: 9.2 million
Percentage of births which were to unmarried women in 1997: 32%
Percentage of same-sex female householders with kids in 1998: 17%
Percentage of women with kids before marriage who were divorced within 10 years as of 1995: 50%
For US Census Bureau data on child support for custodial parents, please click here.
In 1996, children of divorce were 50% more likely than their counterparts from intact families to divorce.
In 19 states reporting custody in 1997: 72% of custody were awarded to the wife, 9% were awarded to the husband. In 16% joint custody was awarded. Parents who are awarded and receive child support have higher incomes.
Fatherless homes account for 63% of youth suicides, 90% of homeless/runaway children, 85% of children with behavior problems, 71% of high school dropouts, 85% of youths in prison, well over 50% of teen mothers.
Miscellaneous:
Married women earning at least $5,000 a year more than their husbands: 8.408 million (14.9% of all married women)
Unmarried women earning at least $5,000 a year more than their partners: 821,000 (21.5% of unmarried couples)
Married men earning at least $5,000 a year more than their wives: 33.228 million (58.8% of all married men)
Unmarried men earning at least $5,000 a year more than their partners: 2.099 million (54.9% of unmarried couples)
Married couples in which only the husband is employed: 12.642 million (22.4%)
Married couples in which only the wife is employed: 3.855 million (6.8%)
Married couples in which both partners are employed: 30.212 million (53.5%)
Unmarried couples in which only the male is employed: 695,000 (18.2%)
Unmarried couples in which only the female is employed: 410,000 (10.7%)
Unmarried couples in which both partners are employed: 2.484 million (65%)
Percentage of smokers who had been divorced in 1997: 49%
Percentage of nonsmokers who had been divorced in 1997: 32%
Percentage of divorces due to economic problems in 1997: 4.2%
Percentage of divorces due to irreconcilable differences in 1997: 80%
(Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, National Center for Health Statistics, Americans for Divorce Reform, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Institute for Equality in Marriage, American Association for Single People, Ameristat, Public Agenda)
NOTE: If you can't find the statistic you're looking for on these pages, we don't have it. You might try searching the following websites for an answer to your question:
US National Center for Health Statistics
US Census Bureau
Americans for Divorce Reform -- Divorce Statistics Collection
Fedstats -- the gateway to statistics from over 100 US Federal agencies
when I read the article in #1835 I think THIS IS THE TIME FOR TTN TO LAUNCH..........RIGHT NOW! If the gay community is unified against these discriminatory remarks then we have the attention of the entire community!!!!
TTN has to uplift their expections in my opinion...get the gay political forum going now....